This invention relates to an automated system for monitoring and controlling a production facility.
In an automated system which controls a production facility for such operations as inspection, machining and assembly, the system is equipped with means by which the facility per se discloses information when it is required that information relating to the facility be collected and the information be utilized to analyze the status of the facility. According to this method, which has recently been put into use, the information relating to the production facility is subjected to management processing during the operation of the facility. Further, a system for monitoring the facility information has been put into use and operates separately of the automated system that controls the production facility. These systems collect information via a communication or other interface and make it possible to remotely monitor the production facility and its information.
FIG. 66 is a block diagram showing an overview of the architecture of an automated system according to the prior art.
As shown in FIG. 66, the system includes a monitor controller 6604 for monitoring and analyzing a production facility. The monitor controller 6604 includes a floppy disk device 6601, a printer 6602, an external storage device 6603 for storing a large quantity of data, a communication interface 6605, a keyboard 6606 and a color display 6607.
A control computer 6609, which controls the production facility, effects such control by actuating a number of actuators 6610 based upon information acquired from a group of sensors 6611. The information acquired by the control computer 6609 is sent to the side of the monitor controller 6604 via a communication interface 6608 and a communication line 6612 so that the information is outputted as processed results by being displayed on the color display 6607 or printed out by the printer 6602.
However, the automated system according to the prior art described above has a number of shortcomings, which will now be set forth.
(1) It is required that information needed by the user be communicated to the controlled production facility in the form of a data request. Depending upon the particular information required, the original sequence of line control may change or actual line (process) control of the production facility may develop an operating loss, the latter occurring during the time that the apparatus controlling the line occupies the CPU in order to process the response to the request for facility information.
Furthermore, since the program for data communication between the monitor computer and control computer is necessary during the apparatus drive sequence, a data delivery instruction for displaying data on the monitor computer must also be described in the control computer sequence. If the monitor computer becomes unnecessary or if it should happen to fail for some reason, it will be necessary to alter the program of the control computer or to leave the unnecessary monitor computer connected. Altering the program is complicated and leaving the monitor computer connected is wasteful.
(2) The assignment of functions to the monitor computer serving as a monitoring apparatus and to the control computer serving as a control apparatus is ambiguous. Owing to the relationship to the control operation performed by the control computer, a limitation is imposed upon the data collection and data analysis by the monitor computer.
More specifically, though it is possible to assemble an article automatically and to put together parts automatically, the state of the art is such that no accommodations are made for dealing with the adjustment of parts, especially while measurements are being taken, the process whereof is more difficult than the process through which parts are put together. In particular, when analysis of data is performed in real-time in parallel with control of the production facility, analysis is simply the counting of acceptable parts or defective parts. Consequently, analysis of the type of defect or analysis of such particulars as deviation from a standard value is inevitably performed by batch processing after the raw data is acquired in lot units. In addition, since the adjustment process is carried out manually regardless of the fact that the assembly process has been automated, a problem arises in terms of improving production efficiency.
(3) In a case where an item of equipment in the production facility ceases operating for some reason, it is required that the cause be investigated. In order to determine the particular process through which the equipment halted operation, it is necessary for the operator to monitor the equipment, take video of the equipment, etc. In such case the operator must perform monitoring constantly for problems which can occur at any time and is required to continue shooting video. This is time-consuming and costly.
Further, monitoring performed by an operator is prone to human error, such as the overlooking of problems. In a case where reliance is placed upon video photography, it is difficult to discover phenomena which occur at locations not under surveillance (i.e., at locations where the video camera is not pointed).
(4) In a case where the control software of the control computer is adjusted and revised on-site before the sequence operation of the production line is established, a problem arises in terms of operability. Specifically, in a case where use is made of software having different functions such as control program development, control program debugging or data analysis, it is required that the software currently being run stop being executed and that other software be started up anew each time. This means that operation is complicated in a case where, say, a data analyzing function is utilized in the debugging of the control program.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automated system for monitoring and controlling a production facility in which a monitor computer for monitoring and a control program for control are made functionally independent of each other and facility information used is acquired and analyzed in real-time in the monitor computer, and the analyzed facility information is transmitted to the control computer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automated system in which the operating status of a production facility can be identified with ease even when the production facility has developed a problem.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an automated system having an environment that enables such operations as creation of the control program and the analysis of data to be performed with ease.